1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for testing an information notification service, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for testing an information notification service using a voice band data transmission interface for an analog subscriber of a switching apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, so-called the information notification service using a voice band data transmission interface for an analog subscriber is world-wide spreading. In Japan, NTT (Nippon Telephone and Telegram) provides the information notification service (Number Display) using telephone lines. The information notification services, such as a VDTI (Voiceband Data Transmission Interface) provided by Bellcore and a CLIP-A (Calling Line Identification Presentation for Analog Lines) provided by ETSI (European Telecommunication Standard Institute) are also standardized.
Therefore, it is important to provide services stably and to enhance service quality and to achieve a test method and technology for detecting a fault quickly.
Conventionally, a voice band data transmission interface test system for the switching apparatus has been described in a prior art, for example, Japanese Patent application Number 09284117. In the prior art, a dedicated test apparatus which tests the information notification for only one specification (Bellcore specification) is described.
Recently, the switching apparatuses are wild-wide exported. Therefore, the switching apparatus has to be equipped with an information notification service function according to the specification of a country to which the switching apparatus are exported. Therefore, it is not costeffective to design and produce each test apparatus which only meets one specification for testing each of the information notification service at the production site, and furthermore, it is complicated for user for maintenance of the system.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for testing an information notification service, in which the above disadvantages are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for testing an information notification service, which can efficiently test various information notification service function with a simple construction.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a testing method which is used to perform a test of an information notification service function of a switching apparatus which can provide the information notification service in compliance with a predetermined information notification service specification. The testing method comprises a step of performing an information notification service function between a testing apparatus which can emulate a plurality of types of information reception terminals for different information notification service specifications and switching apparatus which can connect a subscriber side two-wire in a subscriber line circuit in the switching apparatus to the testing apparatus.
According to the invention, it is possible to effectively test the information notification service function of the switching apparatus which can provide the information notification service in compliance with a predetermined information notification service specification using a simple testing apparatus.